Onion Poppy Seed Buns
Soft spiral yeast buns filled with diced onion, oil, salt, and poppy seeds, shaped like cinnamon rolls and baked in muffin tins. The family card leaves out rise times and baking details and appears to carry over vanilla sugar into the egg wash; the finalized version keeps the savory bun and uses a plain egg wash.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the warm water. Let stand 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
- Add the remaining sugar, oil, salt, and about 4 1/2 cups flour. Mix, then add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, slightly tacky dough.
- Knead 7-9 minutes by hand or about 6 minutes in a mixer, until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 60-90 minutes, until roughly doubled.
- Grease 18 muffin cups. In a small bowl, combine the finely diced onions, 2 tablespoons oil, poppy seeds, and salt.
- Roll the risen dough into a thin rectangle, about 14 x 20 inches. Spread the onion mixture evenly over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch clean edge along one long side.
- Starting from the opposite long side, roll up tightly like a cinnamon roll. Pinch the clean edge to seal. Cut into 18 even slices.
- Place one slice cut-side up in each greased muffin cup. Cover loosely and let rise about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush the exposed dough lightly.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, until deeply golden on top and the center buns are cooked through. Cool in the tins 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
Notes
Recipe #132
Category: Kugels, Sides & Knishes
Yield: About 18 buns
Method: Yeast dough, roll, bake
Prep: About 35 min + rise
Bake: 375 F / 190 C for 25-30 min
Difficulty: Intermediate
Recipe Details
Kosher: Pareve. Texture: Soft, fluffy bread with golden spiral edges and a savory onion-poppy filling. Best feature: Familiar cinnamon-roll shaping makes an old-fashioned onion bun easier for beginners to understand.
Savory Egg Wash Correction
The family card says to brush the buns with egg and vanilla sugar. Because the bun is savory and the filling is onion, salt, oil, and poppy seed, the finalized recipe uses a plain egg-and-water wash. The yeast dough also needs the missing rise times: about 60-90 minutes before rolling and about 30 minutes after shaping.
What a Beginner Should Look For
First rise: Dough visibly puffed and close to doubled. Filled log: Tight enough to hold the onions without squeezing them out. Finished buns: Deep golden tops, browned spiral edges, and a light, bread-like interior when pulled apart.
Dice the Onions Very Fine
The family filling uses raw diced onion. Fine pieces soften properly during baking and stay inside the spiral better than large chunks. If your onions are especially sharp or wet, blot them briefly with a paper towel before filling the dough.
Beginner Tips
- Use warm, not hot, water so the yeast stays active.
- Keep the dough soft; adding too much flour makes dense buns.
- Roll the log tightly but do not crush the dough.
- Cut with floss for clean spirals.
- Use a plain egg wash; the filling already provides plenty of flavor.
- Saute the onions until just softened and cool them before filling for a sweeter, softer onion flavor.
- Sprinkle extra poppy seeds over the egg wash before baking.
- Shape the slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan instead of muffin tins for flatter rolls.
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